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WVU Women’s Soccer

WVU Women’s Soccer Ties No. 24 Georgetown

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 18 WVU Women’s Soccer team added the first tie to head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown’s 26th season.

No. 24 Georgetown Hoyas came to Morgantown on Thursday night in hopes of a break from the monotony of a tie streak. The then-2-0-3 Hoyas were on a two-tie streak entering Thursday’s game, and it only got worse, as the teams battled to a 0-0 draw at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

It wasn’t for lack of opportunities though. WVU could have easily put this game away had even one of the team’s eight corner kicks found the back of the net. The Mountaineers owned the possession, working the ball around Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium 66 percent of the touches. The offensive push was fairly even, with a combined 10 offsides calls, but both defensive fronts held firm.

“I think, the first half, we weren’t making some good decisions with the ball,” Izzo-Brown said. “I thought the second half, we were supporting the ball better. Our movements were better. That’s just something we’ve been continually working on since the Virginia game, so I thought that possession was good tonight.”

The forward runs only produced what turned into five shots on goal, three for WVU and two for the Hoyas. The majority of the game was spent working around midfield. Just more than half the game was spent, by both teams, escaping that congestion.

When Izzo-Brown’s team took the field in the second half, there was a sense of renewed energy. The ball seemed to push toward the 18 time and time again, but the Mountaineers couldn’t penetrate the Georgetown defense. Hoya junior keeper Allie Augur played a phenomenal game when the Mountaineers came knocking. Three saves helped Augur secure her team the clean sheet.

“I thought we really opened up some channels,” Izzo Brown said. “We were able to get into some seams at midfield and open them up… Corner kicks, obviously, but creating those opportunities, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get on the winning side of things.”

WVU junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey had herself a game as well. A full Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium wasn’t loud enough to lose the sound of her voice. Massey fielded two hold-your-breath shots on goal, along with a momentarily concerning pass back that found her a second away from an open net. Still, she closed this game with a clean sheet, her third of the season.

“I thought Kayza had a great game tonight,” Izzo-Brown said of her starting keeper. “She did her job for us and kept us in the game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t put one away.”

Izzo-Brown said that she saw more opportunities created tonight than at the beginning of this season. Now, the goal is to enforce that frustration doesn’t help the future outcomes. The next seven-game stretch of unranked opponents should help this Mountaineer squad. Izzo-Brown said that, in the mean time, there are certainly aspects that ring positive for building into the future with this team.

“The effort that was given tonight was really important,” Izzo-Brown said. “Now, it’s just the hunt for the goals. As everyone probably felt it, there were some really big moments… We’re knocking. Now, we just have to finish.”

The now-3-2-1 WVU Women’s Soccer team has a quick mental, and physical, turnaround. Saint Francis University comes to Morgantown on Sept. 12 at 1 p.m.

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